Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure generally relates to a roller cone drill bit with improved erosion resistance.
Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,137 discloses a method for manufacturing tungsten carbide insert-type cutter cones for a rock bit for drilling oil wells and the like. A cone blank is formed from medium to high carbon steel by forging and machining. The cone blank has a generally conical external surface, a generally cylindrical internal bearing cavity, and a circumferentially extending ball bearing race in the bearing cavity. The cone blank is heat treated by quenching and tempering to a desired core hardness. Insert holes are drilled in the external surface of the heat treated cone blank for insertion of tungsten carbide inserts. The surface of the ball race is selectively hardened by heating and quenching for forming a surface layer having a higher hardness than the core hardness. Selective hardening of the ball race is obtained by applying energy to the surface of the ball race by induction heating, an electron beam or a laser beam to austenitize a surface layer which is rapidly cooled for hardening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,752 discloses that a medium to high carbon steel body of a roller cone for a drilling bit is machined to final dimensions, and is thereafter rendered absorbent to laser light by application of black paint or black etch. Holes for hard tungsten carbide or like inserts are drilled in the light absorbent steel body. The entire steel body, including the holes, is subjected to a laser treatment which, however, is effective to raise to above austenitizing temperature only the dark light absorbent surfaces. Walls of the insert holes, being shiny, reflect the laser light and are not effected by it. Rapid self-quenching of the laser heated surfaces results in a hard martensitic layer in the external surface, with a surface hardness of 57 to 60 Rockwell C units. The seal gland, heel, and spindle bore areas of the roller cones are hardened similarly by exposure to laser light. In an alternative process, the hard tungsten carbide or like inserts are press fitted into the holes before the laser treatment. The subsequent laser treatment does not affect the inserts adversely, because the inserts, too, have shiny light reflective surfaces, and therefore do not absorb the laser light.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,223 discloses a rock drill bit for rotary crushing machining of rock. The rock drill bit includes legs, each of which carry a journal provided with bearing surfaces cooperating via bearing elements with bearing races in a rotatable roller provided with inserts or chisels. Each leg is made from a parent material with substantially homogeneous hardness and each leg comprises a leg tail provided to resist entrance of drill cuttings into the bearings. The bearing surfaces have higher wear resistance than the parent material and the leg tail is at least partly of the same material condition as the bearing surfaces. The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing a rock drill bit.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,377 discloses a method of forming a drill bit structure, the method including fixing spacers to the drill bit structure. The spacers are arranged at preselected locations on an outer surface of the drill bit structure. A hardfacing material is then applied to the drill bit structure, and the spacers are removed. Holes are machined in the drill bit structure at the preselected locations, and drilling inserts are positioned in each hole. A method of forming a drill bit structure, the method including applying a hardfacing material to selected surfaces of the drill bit structure. The hardfacing material includes a perforated carbide infiltrated material and a perforated powder infiltrated material. The perforations in the powder infiltrated material correspond to the perforations in the carbide infiltrated material. Holes are machined in the drill bit structure at the locations of the perforations, and drilling inserts are positioned in each hole.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,920 discloses an earth boring drill bit that includes a cutting cone with a cutting disk. Compacts are inserted within the disk having a chisel shaped end set flush with the cutting disk periphery. The compact crests and cutting disk periphery form a generally seamless cutting surface. The cutting cone can further include cutting teeth thereon also having flush mounted compacts. The compacts can be made from a material such as cemented carbide, hardfacing, tungsten, tungsten alloys, tungsten carbide and the cutter made from steel.